Germany’s leading economic research institute, the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln (IW), has urged the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to re-evaluate its relationship with the Left Party (Die Linke) in light of rising support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)
Knut Bergmann, head of the IW’s Berlin office, stated in an interview with the “Handelsblatt” newspaper that the CDU needs to reconsider its position, particularly at the state level in eastern Germany He cautioned, however, that forming broad coalitions encompassing all opposing parties as a means of countering the AfD is not a guaranteed solution
The call for reassessment arises from recent polling data concerning next year’s state elections in Saxony-Anhalt A survey conducted by Infratest indicates the AfD currently holds 39% of the vote, with the CDU trailing at 27% These figures suggest that preventing an AfD-led government in the state would necessitate a three-party coalition, including Die Linke
Currently, a 2018 resolution formally prohibits the CDU from entering into coalitions or similar collaborative arrangements with both the AfD and Die Linke
Political and communications consultant Johannes Hillje points out that this ban has, in practice, already been circumvented He notes that Michael Kretschmer, the CDU’s Minister-President of Saxony, recently secured passage of the state budget with votes from Die Linke Hillje argues that the CDU should acknowledge this reality and formally revise the resolution concerning cooperation with Die Linke, at least on a state level